48
Metascore
26 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerAt its best, the movie makes you feel like a kindred spirit.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsTwenty or 30 minutes into Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium the urge to flee may rise within you like an oceanic tide. But stick with it. The film is very sweet--in fact it represents the dawn of a new sport, Extreme Whimsy.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertHoffman has countless characters inside of him, and this is one of his nicest.
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldSeattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam ArnoldIt's not "The Wizard of Oz," and its cotton-candy fantasy of a story line is definitely aimed at very young children. But it's well made, and adults likely will find themselves yielding to its gentle, whimsical charm.
- 50VarietyBrian LowryVarietyBrian LowrySprinkles in charming moments but ultimately doesn't evoke enough wonderment to overcome its tongue-twisting title and completely win over adults along with kids.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceHelm's pacing is as pallid as his palette is vivid, and for a movie that celebrates wonder and strangeness, the whole enterprise feels coy and half-baked.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenFor all its playful touches and neat-o nostalgia for nondigital entertainment, the whimsy feels forced.
- 42The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe idea of a toy store as a living, responsive being is a good one, but Helm doesn't take that idea to imaginative places.
- 30Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleThe film’s one saving grace is Bateman, the only actor on set who seems unwilling to give himself over to Magorium’s philosophy that the key to a fulfilling life can only be found in pathological regression. Maybe he just needs more whimsy in his life.
- 0Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMr. Magorium, who is 243 years old (so are his jokes), is a cross between Willy Wonka and Geppetto, but Hoffman plays him with little more than a goofy dumb lisp, achieved by tucking his lower lip under his upper teeth, so that he looks just as rabbity-stoopid as he sounds.